2020–21 Swiss Challenge League
Football league season
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The 2020–21 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Brack.ch Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) is the 18th season of the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland, under its current name. The season started on 18 September 2020 and is scheduled to end on 30 May 2021.[2] The start of the season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. The league held its winter break between 22 December 2020 and 23 January 2021.
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Grasshoppers |
| Relegated | Chiasso |
| Matches | 180 |
| Goals | 503 (2.79 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Rodrigo Pollero (19 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Wil 7–0 Aarau |
| Biggest away win | Xamax 0–3 Schaffhausen Xamax 0–3 Thun Grasshoppers 1–4 Xamax |
| Highest scoring | Wil 7–0 Aarau Kriens 5–2 Grasshoppers Schaffhausen 5–2 Chiasso Winterthur 5–2 Aarau |
| Highest attendance | 2'870 Xamax 1–0 Grasshoppers |
← 2019–20 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 20 May 2021[1]. | |
Participating teams
A total of 10 teams participate in the league. 2019–20 Swiss Challenge League champions FC Lausanne-Sport and runner-up FC Vaduz were promoted to the 2020–21 Swiss Super League. They were replaced by Neuchâtel Xamax FCS, who got relegated after finishing last-placed in the 2019–20 Swiss Super League, and FC Thun, who lost the relegation game. No team was relegated due to the cancellation of the 2019–20 Swiss Promotion League caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland.
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarau |  Stephan Keller |
 Elsad Zverotić |
gpard | Swiss Red Cross, Credit Suisse |
| Chiasso |  Baldassare Raineri |
 Younes Bnou Marzouk |
Macron | Caffè Chicco d'Oro, Autoronchetti |
| Grasshoppers |  Zoltán Kádár (caretaker) |
 Aleksandar Cvetković |
Puma | none (No to Racism) |
| Kriens | Bruno Berner |
Elia Alessandrini |
Joma | MVM AG |
| Lausanne-Ouchy |  Meho Kodro |
 Andy Laugeois |
14Fourteen | none |
| Neuchâtel | Martin Rueda |
Laurent Walthert |
Erima | Groupe E, Briq |
| Schaffhausen | Murat Yakin |
Imran Bunjaku |
Puma | Pistoleros, doc-oliday |
| Thun |  Carlos Bernegger |
Nicola Sutter |
Macron | Schneider Software AG |
| Wil | Alexander Frei |
Philipp Muntwiler |
Erima | Planet Pure |
| Winterthur |  Ralf Loose |
Davide Callà |
gpard | Keller, Init7 |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of departure | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thun | Marc Schneider | Resigned | 5 October 2020 | 9th | Carlos Bernegger | 11 October 2020[4] |
| Xamax | Stéphane Henchoz | Sacked | 13 December 2020 | 9th | Martin Rueda | 13 December 2020[5] |
| Grasshoppers |  João Carlos Pereira | Sacked | 5 May 2021 | 1st | Zoltán Kádár (caretaker) | 5 May 2021[6] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grasshoppers (C, P) | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 65 | Promotion to 2021–22 Swiss Super League |
| 2 | Thun (Q) | 36 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 64 | Qualification to promotion/relegation play-offs |
| 3 | Lausanne-Ouchy | 36 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 58 | |
| 4 | Schaffhausen | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 59 | 46 | +13 | 58 | |
| 5 | Aarau | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 66 | 59 | +7 | 58 | |
| 6 | Winterthur | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 43 | |
| 7 | Wil | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 39 | |
| 8 | Kriens | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 38 | |
| 9 | Xamax | 36 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 36 | |
| 10 | Chiasso (R) | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 35 | 60 | −25 | 36 | Relegation to Swiss Promotion League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Draw.[7]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Results
First and Second Round |
Third and Fourth Round
|
Statistics
Top scorers
- As of 20 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rodrigo Pollero |
Schaffhausen | 19 |
| 2 | Filip Stojilković |
Aarau | 15 |
| 3 |  Louis Mafouta |
Neuchâtel Xamax | 14 |
 Ivan Prtajin |
Schaffhausen | ||
| 5 | Yanis Lahiouel |
Lausanne-Ouchy | 12 |
| 6 | Roman Buess |
Winterthur | 11 |
 Saleh Chihadeh |
Thun | ||
 Zeki Amdouni |
Lausanne-Ouchy | ||
 Léo Bonatini |
Grasshoppers | ||
| 10 |  Shkelqim Demhasaj |
Grasshoppers | 10 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Asumah Abubakar | Portugal |
SC Kriens |
Promotion play-offs
The ninth-placed team of the 2020–21 Swiss Super League, Sion, played against the runners-up of the 2020–21 Swiss Challenge League, Thun.
First leg
Second leg
Sion won 6–4 on aggregate.